In this day and age of AC-3, you can spend thousands of dollars just on a receiver alone. Well I will tell you after six months of testing and listening the best bargain and bang for your buck is the Sony STRDE-915. I have listened to Marantz and Harmon Kardon, Yamaha, Denon and Onkyo and heard sales pitches from salesman telling me that the power ratings from the Sony are overstated. How wrong they are!! Fine, high current receivers tend to minimize their power ratings because of the dynamic headroom involved--but this Sony receiver (rated at 100 watts X5) has dynamic power at 155 watts into 8 ohms and 240 into 4 ohms!!The cost is anywhere from $300 to over $1000 LESS then the competition!!with built in AC-3, 41 DSP modes (which coincidently are NOT superfluous but give you tremendous flexibilty) and a sound that will knock your ears off, it is the best bargain in audio right now! Remember, trust your own ears and not a salesmans MOUTH!!!

This receiver has great features and is affordable. But if you have a little bit more money i suggest going for Sony ES Series, Yamaha, Harman-Kardon, or Pioneer Elite. This Receiver has a Dolby Digital Processor with 4 Hybrid-Pulse DAC's (specially designed by sony) the DAC's aren't all that good. they are only 4-bit DAC's except with 20-bit conversion. The Receiver has ok DSP Settings. The DSP Processor is a weak one. it has only about 20 mips which is nothing compared to Zoran's DSP which has 33 and 40 mips. There are good features with this receiver though. it has special amp shielding which prevents cross-talk which is a great feature. When you buy this receiver you got to take into consideration what your paying for. This has a 5-Channel Amp. You can't expect Sony to have good sound unless you're paying for their Elevated Standard series. In my opinion, if you have less than a $2000 Home Theater Budget get it but if you have more than take into consideration of buying a ES Series Receiver if you want a sony. If you're thinking about getting a Pioneer Receiver, think again. Pioneer's Direct MOS Energy Amplifier does not use FULL MOSFET OUPUT Transistors. Instead they use a mix of Bipolar and Mosfet. The main advantage is more bass. Since this is only a Low-End receiver i give this receiver a 4-star rating

When I was in the local Good Guys, I really wasn't in the market for receiver. I had planned to hold out for another year until Marantz came out with a DTS/AC3 receiver and then I'd get some NHT VT-2 system, but then I saw this Sony for $399! It was an open box, but it was just like new! Heck, for $399 I couldn't beleive it! Sitting next to it were JBL SCS120's (also a open box for $599) I didn't even listen to either one. I figured for $1000 a complete AC3 home theater, who can beat that! It's just a temporary soulution (until Divx and DTS get squared away), but in a couple years, this system's moving into my bedroom! I'm very impressed with the Sony. Ample power and good AC3. The soundfields are a gimmick, but so what. For the list price of $800 I'd think twice about this, but for $400, don't think, buy!

The Sony STR-DE915 is a good receiver for those looking to get into Dolby Digital at a (relatively) low price, but comparing it to others (Yamaha, Denon) that I've listened to, it really didn't match up. It does what most Sony audio products do, lots of features, many of which you'll use once at the most, at the cost of good sound. I'd much rather spend a little bit more and get something that handles all sound ranges well, than spend less and get something with overpowering bass and muted treble.

I have read the other reviews reguarding this receiver and I am amazed at how pickey SOME people can be! I have owned this receiver for nine months and find it to be a EXCELLENT choice for entering the world of Dolby Digital. The true is for the price point this receiver cannot be touched!! If you want to spend $1000.00 for a receiver be my guest! I know that with five NHT superone's this receiver puts out excellent sound!

I never thought I will ever buy a SONY receiver but saw this demo unit from Good Guys for $399 and I brought it. I need a DD receiver but wasn't sure I should spend $1K now for a receiver before the DTS issue become clearer. At $399, it was an impulse buy. As exptected, the sound is not as good as the Denon AVR 3200 or the Yamaha 992 but I use the money saved for a better pair of speakers (Klipsch KLF 20 vs Klipsch KG 4.5). The end result is the SONY/KLF 20 combination sounds better than the Denon/KG 4.5.
The DSP modes are not that good but I don't use those any way.

One big problem I have with this unit is its remote. Although it is a "learning" remote, it is not able to turn on and off other components if they are not from SONY.

I Reviewed this receiver for a friend. This receiver is not very good. I Watched a couple movies with it. I Watched The Jackal, The Rock, and The Fifth Element. This AC-3 Performance was below average and the Amplifier?It has bad performance. The Ch. Sepertion was bad and the Signal-to-Noise Ratio was to low. I Also listened to a couple of CD's. The amplifier needs more Dynamic Headroom. It often had alot of distortion when the bass was too stressing. All in all i would rather go for the Yamaha RX-V793 or R-V1103.
You can find the STR-DE915 for $449.95 from J&R www.jandr.com

I just bought this recever and I think it's a pretty good unit. I paid $550 for it and the only draw back I can find with it right now that is dosen't have S-Viedo. It does have digital jacks and thats a BIG plus. If you are looking for a fair priced A/V Recever you can't go wrong with this sony.

Well, I graduated from college last May and I was thinking, damn, I need a good home theatre system. But I didn't want to break the bank, but I wanted something with built-in AC3. And then, WHAM, out of the blue flew in the 915. The features were amazing, but still, being the tight ass that I am, I couldn't see myself spending $800 dollars on a Sony receiver. After a few nights of scouring the Internet, my prayers were answered. I found a place that had 'em for $439 smackers. Without even considering if the co was legit or not, I whipped out my debit card and proceeded to buy! And lordy, lordy, was I pleased (and relieved) when UPS delivered my 915. My girlfriend couldn't believe it when the plotless Dante's Peak ROARED to life powered by the more than ample Sony 100 watt amps. My Paradigmn sub, center, and satellite speakers sung like I've never heard them before. If you are interested in the new AC3 technology and want to make enemies of neighbors, rekindle old friendships, and not break the bank, Sony has a receiver for you!

Please IGOR, I mean really, You know the Kenwood is a better receiver! Right! Give me a break, even Sony's cheap receivers will always be a better choice than a Kenwood! My whole point is.... for the price point, it is the best receiver! It also makes a excellent choice to enter the world of DD. BTW, I listen to alot of Rock, the Sony sounds clear and accurate!